Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-01-06
FACTS AS TO FEvERs.
Timely Hints Relative to Typhoid and Its


terror and cause the hot blood to rush
to another's face by word. Grief and
anxiety turn the body from paths of
health. and sometimes actually modify
the nutrition TO such an extent that
great changes take place The hair may
turn gray orfuTows and. wrinkles come
in the face.
Ii is = well-known fact that nearly
every student of medicine, in his early
attempts to acquire medical lore. will in
turn have well-marked symptoms of
every disease he reads about. Those
who arc not accustomed to daily contact
with diseases, and are easily impressed,
ills. and should avoid medical books.
especially the pseudo scientific medical
books classed as popular" such as
Everybody His Own Physieian." "Dr.
So-and-so's Home Treatment" and
their like.
The tendency that people have--that
Is, the tendency to think they have the
very symptoms Of which they reads
oneof the bogus doctors strongholds.
Hewill detail long list of symptoms
which may be indicative of half dozen
diseases, and the reader. VINO probably
does not feel well, finding that three or
four OF the symptoms lit him exactly,
paying no regard to the many laid down
which do not fit him, thinks this is the
very medicine. or the very doctor, he
wants.
There are class of persons who may
be called chronic medicine-takers. On
the other hand, there are Others who 60
to the opposite extreme and take none
whatever. These are the extremes of
the evil, and both are bad. There are
many who take SO much medicine that
their systems become habituated to the
commoner remedies, and when the ne.
cessity arises for them to receive some
treatment then the usual doses are with
out proper effect. On the other hand,
the ones who have prejudice against
any remedy whatever are frequently
sufferers thereby. There is an instance
in this city where well-known man
recently lost his life by refusing treat
ment.
Tho great. thing is to know just when.
to apply to one skilled and trained in
the healing art There are people by
the score who, if they want an opinion
NJ
once to theologian or lawyer. but
when health is at stake, a matter
worthy of learned opinion, instead of
applying to the doctor in whom they
have confidence, go rather to charlatan
or seek relief in some OF the many nos
trums constantly upon the shelves of
the druggists.
1t is not intended hero to depreciate
the simple remedies of household use
which have been found time and time
again to be of so much benefit, but the
approach of some diseases are so insid-
ious that the gravity is not at once re-
cognized, and self-administered remedies
frequently do harm. This is often the
case where purgatives are taken at the
beginning of typhoid fever.
Fevers. and especially typhoid, are
not always easy to recognize at the out
set 1t is frequently the case that the
| medical attendant will remark: .You
are threatened with fever" There is
no such thing Either the patient has
or has not fever. and when you are told
that you are "threatened' it is only
makeshift to put you off until the dis
ease develops enough to enable the med
ical attendant to determine.
The province of the physician is not
to cure Yphoidfevers, because this can
not be done; but TO watch the case,
note the symptoms. and guide and assist
nature in her endeavors to cope with
the disease, until it arrives at a success
full issue.
The first symptoms OF the disease are
headache, loss of appetite, pains in the
limbs and back, and increase of bodily
heat which is most marked in the eve
nIng. Frequently the patient will be
panied and restless in the evening and
fore part of the night, but after the turn
of the night fall into sweet and re-
freshing sleep, which. # not disturbed,
| lasts far into tho morning. After the
| first few days the face gets very heavy
and expressionless, the evening tempera-
ture gets more marked. the tongue coat
ed with a little triangular red space at
Pthe tip and tenderness to pressure on
the right side OF the abdomen.
When this point is reached It's usual
ly well-marked case Of fever. but the
| first-named symptom may be indicative
OF half-dozen other diseases. 49,
There is disease which so nearly
Stimulates typhoid fever that many arc
deceived by it-many who are not only
we'll informed in matters pertaining to
the sick room, but even physicians.
That is poisoning from gas. This may
be sewer-gas or illuminating gas. 1t
has been noticed in this city frequently
among those who work in the gas tren-
chcs. or people living near by where
earth impregnated with gas has been
thrown up and allowed TO lie. 1t has
every symptom of fever except the ten
deruess in the abdomen. This disease
lasts for aboutra week, or less. provided
the patient gets good air to breathe.
He will require the services OF 2 physi-
clan onIy.to make tho diagnosis.
Just what the causes OF typhom-feVer
are is very hard TO say. Attilnes it can
be traced positively to some we'll which
is rendered foul BY iil;ering from an
adjacent deposit on refuse material of
some sort, but thisis one of the diseases
which attack alike the kings palace
and the beggar's howell.
The physician is frequently asked
whether or not this disease is ''catch-
ing" In one sense it is, and another it
is not. The disease IS communicated
rom one to another by means OF some
thing from the patient becoming ming
led with. the food or drink OF well
person. This is disgusting, but true.
1t NAV be from some OF. the natural ef-
fete material thrown of. or even from
clothing saturated with persp:ration. 1t
is possible to acquire the disease By in
haling odors arising from these emana-
tons, but ii is entirely safe to enter the
well-ventilated room of typhoid pa
tent, or even TO attend his wants, pro-
vided cleanliness is observed.
Two-thirds of the cases of this disease,
it may be safely said, viii recover with
out any medicine whatever other than
good nursing. sponge-baths with cold
water when the fever is high. proper
food, and continual cheerfulness in the
room by both nurses and visitors.
Hope springs eternal in the human
breast" but Que lugubrioas old woman.
or head-shaking, long-faccd man. sill
knock more hope out OF sick person
in minute than can be inspired there
during the subsequent week
Good nursing. especially in typhoid
fever, win do more toward curing the
patient, provided always thst there are
no serious complications. than half
dozen of tho best doctors In town
Pitttburg Dispatch.
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